DLC Blog

Cities in Spain

The wonderful language of Spanish (Castilian) originated in Spain, 5000 miles east of here in Southwestern Europe. Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula, which is southwest of France and also includes Portugal. Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and Madrid is the capital of Spain. The biggest cities in Spain are Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Sevilla, Zaragoza, Malaga, and Bilbao. Spain has a much larger population than Washington, 40 million there compared to 6 million here, and is about three times as large in area as our lovely state. Here is some info about four major cities in Spain:

Olive Trees in Central Spain

MADRID
Madrid is a very large and crowded city, with tight alleyways and drying laundry hung between buildings. Public squares (plazas) provide a break from the crowding, but don't expect American-style parks. There are very few trees in Madrid. Occasionally you will see a couple walking their dog, but the dogs are usually tiny and must make do with dirt paths and no room to run free. Madrid has almost as many people as our entire state crammed into one city! However the scenery outside of the city is fantastic, with mountains and olive trees galore. Expect a beautiful dusting of snow in winter, too.

MetroMadrid provides an excellent subway system underneath Spain's capital, and you never need a car to get around. Nevertheless, traffic jams abound. Madrid is very lively, yet has little of the modern, technological feel of American downtowns. There are few tall buildings (there is no "Madrid skyline"), but tons of shops and apartments and bars and offices crowded into block after block of low buildings. The weather is usually very nice, ranging from caliente in the summer to frio in winter, but everything in between is fantastic.

The food is expensive and very Castilian (the region of central Spain). Expect TONS of jamon serrano (cured ham) EVERYWHERE. I mean EVERYWHERE. Museo del Jamon ("The Ham Museum") is a chain of ham stores around the city, and you can have your bacon and eat it too- about 65 different ways. American fast food is catching on there too, but expect a lot of potatoes and meat. Note: there are basically no vegetarian options.

BARCELONA
People crowd Barcelona as well. At the confluence of mountains and the Mediterranean, industry and culture, the city provides a mix of beauty and, well, grit. Expect to see litter, fancy cars, smokestacks, and high fashion all in one day. Of course, THE BEACH!!! provides an escape for everyone, but it is very crowded and you're swimming not too far from oil tankers and sewer outlets. Kind of yucky!

The food is more oriented to the sea, and expect pulpo (octopus) and paella (mixed saffron rice, seafood, and vegetables) everywhere you go. The Mediterranean climate provides ample sunshine and mild weather, with frost and snow almost nonexistent and highs in the 70s and 80s more than half the year. Language warning: most people in Barcelona speak Catalan, which is a Romance Language spoken throughout Catalonia (the Northeast of Spain, the Balearic Islands, and part of France). Even though they understand Castilian Spanish, most people will probably not want to speak in it.

SALAMANCA
Even though Salamanca is a medium-sized city (a little bigger than Bellingham or Olympia, but smaller than Spokane or Tacoma), it is important in history because it contains la Universidad de Salamanca, Europe's oldest university. It is a very traditional city with a lot of students as well, so this creates some interesting contrasts. For example: Spanish students partying at 3 am with exchange students from Korea, in a club made out of a converted 800-year-old church, on a plaza next to a kebab stand overlooking a 1200-year-old library. Talk about mixing history with pleasure! Here is a picture of an old cathedral in Salamanca on the Rio Tormes, made famous in the novel Lazarillo de Tormes.

BILBAO
The largest city on the North Coast of Spain, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Bilbao is a major financial and industrial center. The city is alive with Basque culture, which is different in many important ways from the rest of Spain. The Basque people are a group that has lived in what is now northern Spain and southwestern France for thousands of years. Their language is one of the oldest in the world and is unrelated to any other existing language. Its origins still remain a mystery.

Modern Bilbao has a mixture of Basques, people from other parts of Spain, and immigrants. Everything is in Spanish and Basque, although because it was forbidden to speak Basque from 1939 to 1976 many older generations speak it poorly. The weather is a bit windier and cloudier than most of Spain, but it is still milder than most of Washington. Jai-Alai is a unique Basque sport, played like racquetball or squash but with a scoop instead of a racket and at a much faster speed. Here is a short history of Jai-Alai (notice it is now a popular gambling sport in Florida). Finally, Basque food includes even more fish, especially cod and fish appetizers (pintxos).

I would highly recommend a trip to Spain, if you are ever in the neighborhood. There are tons of great cities to explore and the countryside is amazing too. Bon voyage! Buenos viajes!

DLC links on Spain
Country guide to Spain

Josh
DLC Student Mentor

Posted by Josh at October 27, 2006 02:37 PM in .